Meditation is the flow of continuous thought of one thing or God. Meditation
is the keeping up of one idea of God alone always like the continuous flow of
oil from one vessel to another. A continuous flow of perception or thought is
Dhyana or meditation.

Meditation is a mysterious ladder which reaches from earth to heaven, from
error to truth, from darkness to light, from pain to bliss, from restlessness to
abiding peace, from ignorance to knowledge, from mortality to immortality.
Meditation leads to Knowledge of the Self which brings about eternal peace,
supreme bliss. Meditation prepares you for the integral experience or direct
intuitive knowledge.

1. Meditation is keeping up of an unceasing flow of God Consciousness. It is
termed Dhyana. All worldly thoughts are shut out from the mind. The mind is
filled or saturated with Divine thoughts, with the Divine Glory, the Divine
Presence.

2. Have a separate meditation room under lock and key. Don’t allow anybody to
enter the room. Burn incense there morning and evening. Keep a photo of Lord
Krishna or Lord Siva or Sri Rama or Devi. Place your Asana in front of the
picture. Keep some books also as Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Upanishads,
Yogavasishtha, Bhagavata, etc. When you repeat the Mantra, the powerful
vibrations will be lodged in the ether of the room. In six months’ time you will
feel peace and purity in the atmosphere of the room. Whenever your mind is much
disturbed by worldly influences, sit in the room and repeat the Name of the Lord
for half an hour; then you will find an entire change in the mind immediately.
Practise and feel the soothing, spiritual influence yourself. Nothing is like
spiritual Sadhana. You will find a local Mussorie in your own house.

3. Keep the head, neck and back in one straight line. Read the 11th and 13th
Slokas a Chapter VI of Gita, wherein a description of the Asana is given.
Spread a four-folded blanket and over this spread a piece of soft, white cloth.
This will do nicely. If you can get a good tiger skin complete with claws,
etc. it is all the more better. A tiger skin has got
its own advantages. It generates electricity in the body quickly, and does not
allow leakage of electric-current from the body. It is full of magnetism.

4. Face East or North. A spiritual neophyte should observe this rule. In
facing North he is in communion with the Rishis of the Himalayas and he is
mysteriously benefited by their currents.

5. Asana removes many diseases such as piles, dyspepsia, constipation, checks
excessive Rajas. The body gets genuine rest from the posture. If you are
established in Asana, if you are firm in your seat, then you can take up easily
exercises in Pranayama. This is the third Anga or part of Ashtanga Yoga or Raja
Yoga. First, there is self-restraint or practice of Ahimsa, Satyam, Brahmacharya,
etc. Second, there are religious canons or observances, such as Saucha, Santosha,
Tapas, Svadhyaya, etc. Next comes Asana. When the Asana becomes steady, you will
not feel the body. When you have obtained mastery in Asana, qualities of the
pairs of opposites as heat and cold will not trouble you then. You must sit in
the Asana on an empty stomach. You can take a small cup of milk, tea or coffee
before doing the Asana.

6. Sit on Padma, Siddha, Svastika or Sukha Asana for half an
hour to start with. Then increase the period to three hours. In one year you can
have Asana Siddhi (perfection in posture). Any easy, comfortable posture
is Asana.

7. Place the right foot on the left thigh, the left foot on the right thigh.
Put the hands on the thighs near the knee joints. Keep the head, neck and the
trunk in one straight line. Close the eyes and concentrate on the Trikuti,
the space between the two eye-brows or heart. This is called as lotus pose or
Kamala Asana. This is very good for meditation.

8. This is a beautiful Asana for meditation. Place one heel at the anus or
Guda, the terminal opening of the alimentary canal or digestive tube through
which the excreta or faecal matter is thrown out. Keep the other heel on the
root of the generative organ. The feet or the legs should be so placed that the
ankle joints should be touching each other. Close the eyes. Concentrate at the
Trikuti or heart. Keep the head, neck and trunk in one straight line.
Keep the hands as in Padma Asana near the knee joints.

9. Get up at 4 A.M. in the morning in the Brahma Muhurta which is very
favourable for spiritual contemplation and start Bhajana (worship of
God). In the early morning the mind is calm, pure and quite refreshed after
slumber. The mind is like a blank sheet of paper and comparatively free from
worldly Sanskaras. It can be moulded very easily at this time. The
atmosphere also is charged with more Sattva at this particular time. Wash your
hands, feet and face with cold water, if you find it difficult to take a bath.
This will suffice.

10. Concentrate gently either on the lotus of the heart (Anahata Chakra),
space between the two eye-brows (Ajna Chakra, Trikuti). Close your eyes.

11. The seat of the mind is Ajna Chakra. The mind can be controlled
easily if you concentrate on Trikuti.

12. Bhaktas should concentrate on the heart. Yogins and Vedantins
should concentrate on Ajna Chakra (Trikuti).

13. Crown of the head (Sahasrara) is another seat for concentration.
Some Vedantins concentrate here.

14. Some Yogins concentrate at the tip of the nose (Nasikagra Drishti).

15. Stick to one centre in concentration. Cling to it tenaciously. If you
concentrate on heart stick to it. Never change it. Guru will select the centre
for concentration, if you are a student of faith. If you are a man of
self-reliance, you can select it for yourself.

16. This is meditation on a Murty either Lord Krishna, Rama, Siva or
Devi. This is a concrete form of meditation for people of Bhakti Marga.
This is meditation with Gunas or attributes of God. Repeat His name also
either OM Namo Bhagavate Vaasudevaya, Om Namah Sivaya, Sri Rama. Think of His
attributes Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, etc. Your mind will be filled
with purity. Lord Krishna’s picture with flute in hand and Lord Vishnu’s picture
with conch, discus, mace and lotus are excellent ones for concrete meditation.
Enthrone Him in the lotus of your heart amidst a blazing light. Mentally think
of His lotus Feet, yellow silken robe, necklace set with Koustubha gem,
earrings, crown, bracelets, conch, discus, mace and lotus and then again come
back to His Feet. Again and again repeat the process.

18. This tantamounts to meditation on OM. You can take up either Aham
Brahma Asmi or Tat Tvam Asi Mahavakyas, the great sentences of the
Upanishads and meditate on their significance. Deny or negate or throw out the
Koshas and identify with the one essence that lies behind them.

19. Meditate. Purify your mind. Practise concentration in a solitary room.
Then squeeze out the Upanishads and Gita from your brain. Don’t
depend upon imperfect commentaries. You will understand, if you are sincere, the
real Sankalpa of the Rishis of the Upanishads and Lord
Krishna, what they really meant when they uttered those wise slokas.